the very best
by not a straight trumpet
Summary: Parodia absolutely would not listen to her. Or, yet another Pokémon AU.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n:** i was thrown directly back into pokemon hell with the two latest eps featuring misty, my namesake and my favorite character, so i ended up writing this

* * *

"H-hey, Parodia! Geez, it wouldn't kill you to listen to me for once." Kumiko stared down at the Bulbasaur stubbornly trotting a few steps ahead of her, its little feet _pap-pap-papping_ across the hard-packed ground.

"Bulba," Parodia retorted. Kumiko let out a groan.

"'Pick a grass-type, Kumiko!'" she muttered, mocking, hands balled into fists at her side. "'It'll be just like taking care of those cacti you keep in your room!' Last time I checked, cacti didn't _escape their Poké Balls_ and _refuse to listen._ God."

"Saur." Parodia plopped down on a soft-looking patch of grass and looked up at Kumiko with a daring look, smug as anything, and she let out a relenting groan.

"Y'know, if you're this lazy, you could just get back in the ball and let me carry you around." Parodia flopped over on her side, and Kumiko sat down next to her. "I have to get to Rikka City by sunset tomorrow. There's someone waiting for me there."

"Bulba?" Parodia blinked in confusion. Kumiko had to stifle a chuckle. Annoying as she was, Kumiko had to admit that Parodia _was_ quite cute. Stubborn, and rude, and one of the worst partners anyone could ask for, but cute.

"I'm supposed to meet up with this friend of mine - here, I've got a photo of her." Kumiko held out her phone and let Parodia crawl onto her lap and look at it. One Natsuki Nakagawa flashed a peace sign at the camera with her scruffy Meowth held under her arm.

"Bulbabulba."

"She's already been traveling for a while, said that I need, uh, 'her expertise' to not get murdered by a swarm of Pidgey on my first day. Pfft." Kumiko scuffed the ground with her sneaker. "As if. You're strong, right?"

"Bulba!" Parodia lifted her head proudly.

"Great. C-could you get back into the ball, then?" Parodia shook her head promptly, and Kumiko groaned. "You're impossible."

"Who's impossible?" Kumiko nearly jumped at the sudden voice, and she whirled around to come face-to-face with a girl her own age, an Absol at her side.

 _Crap, I'm gay._ The girl looked like she'd been out on the route for a while - empty water bottles poked from her bag, and dirt coated the Absol's paws - but showed no signs of even breaking a sweat, her long dark hair flowing elegantly down her back like she was posing for a shampoo commercial and her violet eyes sharp and mesmerizing.

"I said, who's impossible?" she repeated, with the voice of an impatient and slightly blunt angel. Kumiko blankly pointed down to the spot next to her feet, but Parodia had disappeared.

"Hey, where'd you go?"

"Buuuuulba." Parodia knocked the Poké Ball from Kumiko's belt and pressed its button with her tendrils, slipping back inside with one last smug look.

"That'd, uh, that'd be my jerk of a partner, just now listening to me after _seven hours of_ giving me attitude! You're getting a stern talking-to as soon as you come out of there." The girl chuckled.

"You're a new trainer, aren't you?"

"How can you tell?"

"You're overprepared, your Bulbasaur won't listen to you, and you came right from Kitauji Town."

"Oh." Kumiko suddenly felt very self-conscious about the giant backpack hanging off her shoulders. "Wait, do I know you?"

"You might." The girl narrowed her eyes, stepping a little bit closer. "I'm from Kitauji Town, too."

"Sol," the Absol added. The girl patted its head to quiet it. Kumiko's chest seized up as she remembered - the glimmer of tears in her eyes, a stubborn wail of anger, the way she'd stormed off.

"Kousaka-san?"

"And you're . . . Kumiko Oumae?"

"Y-yeah."

"Well, you shouldn't stay out here alone after dark, especially not when you're . . . inexperienced. It's dangerous."

"I figured."

"Where were you headed?"

"Uh, Rikka City. I'm meeting someone there." The girl - Kousaka - appeared thoughtful for a moment.

"There wouldn't be much of a problem if I led you there, right?"

"I guess not?" Everything was moving at such a fast rate that Kumiko's head was spinning, and a very beautiful girl had offered to walk her to a town, and the ground felt like it was going to give out from under her feet. "T-thanks."

"Don't mention it." Kousaka started walking a few paces ahead, the Absol perfectly in stride with her.

* * *

"Hey, how long have you two been traveling together?" Kumiko pointed to the Absol, which silently continued along the path.

"Roi's been my partner for three years, now," Kousaka replied evenly. "He saved me in a thunderstorm, and we've been like this ever since."

"Wow, really?" Kumiko breathed. "That's amazing."

"I suppose it is." A hint of a smile crossed Kousaka's face, and Kumiko's heart thrummed in her chest.

* * *

"We're here," Kousaka announced, once the two girls had reached the gleaming metal gate proclaiming _RIKKA CITY_ in slim capital letters.

"Thanks again for your help," Kumiko mumbled. Parodia had once again escaped the confines of her Poké Ball and now stepped onto the pavement with hesitant paws. "I probably would've died in there on my own."

"Is your friend around?" Kousaka held a hand up to her forehead to block out the sun, looking around, but there was hardly anyone on the street.

"I guess not."

"I'll wait with you."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to." It didn't seem like there was any arguing with Kousaka, who planted her feet firmly on the ground, and so Kumiko just stood there with a very pretty girl and her Absol, watching leaves twirl in the wind. Rikka City really was very boring, for how much people liked it. Kumiko didn't understand the appeal.

 _Stupid town,_ she thought, and Parodia chose to spring up on her vines just then.

"What does she look like?" Kousaka asked after about ten minutes of stifling silence.

"I have a picture- crap, battery's dead." Kumiko paused, shaking the device like that'd turn it on. "W-well, uh, she's a little shorter than me, reddish hair, probably running around with a Meowth on her shoulder."

"I'll keep an eye out."

As it turned out, she didn't have to, as Natsuki came hurrying into view with Luce the Meowth clinging to her shoulder for dear life.

"Kumiko! Hey! I'm not late, am I?" she yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"You're fine, Natsuki!" Kumiko yelled back.

"Great! I got caught up with some weird crap last-minute - there was this really cute girl and-"

"I think we understand," Kousaka cut through evenly. Natsuki skidded to a halt in front of Kumiko and seemed to notice Kousaka's presence for the first time.

"Who's this?" she asked, jabbing a finger in her direction. Kousaka tensed.

"Oh, uh, this is Reina Kousaka. She helped me back in the woods, haha."

"And I guess that'd make this cutie Parodia, huh?" Natsuki scratched the Bulbasaur in question under the chin, and Parodia flopped over in contentment.

"Yep. She's a jerk." Parodia gently extended a vine for Luce to paw at, smiling her little adorable fanged smile.

"I can see that."

"I suppose I should be on my way, then, now that you two have been . . . reacquainted." Kousaka started for the forest again when Parodia rushed to her side, wrapping a vine around her leg. Natsuki looked from her to Kousaka to Kumiko, who was blushing like a maniac, and to passerby it might've looked like a lightbulb popped on right above her head.

"Actually, where're ya going after this?" she asked. Kousaka tried to pry Parodia's vine from her leg, but she wouldn't budge, even with Kumiko's insistence that she let go.

"Nowhere in particular." She paused. "Home, probably."

"How would you feel about traveling with us?" Natsuki extended a hand, not quite oblivious to Kumiko's frantic gestures telling her to stop. "We're gonna try and collect all eight Gym Badges - y'know, the stereotypical hero's journey. You watched that show when you were a kid, right?" Kousaka's Absol nudged her warmly. "We could use someone like ya to help out."

"I think I'd like that," she finally said, firmly shaking Natsuki's hand. Natsuki glanced over at Kumiko, who felt like she might as well trip on her own two feet.

"Well?" Natsuki grunted. "We can't really be a traveling trio if one of our members doesn't join in the handshake." Kumiko reached out her hand to join the two of them, nodding, and as their three Pokémon started to circle each other, she got the sense that something much larger was beginning.

* * *

 **a/n:** i might continue this if there's enough interest? all three of the pokemon referenced have names that signify something about their trainers.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n:** it sure has been a year and a half since i updated this! can't make any promises on when it'll be updated again but i saw detective pikachu a few weeks ago and also there was that bit in killing eve where villanelle said smell ya later to niko so here we are

* * *

 _"The Zenkoku Region, a shining place full of music and opportunity!"_ Asuka Tanaka's unforgettable voice boomed over a loudspeaker. _"Come and pay us a visit sometime, you won't regret it!"_ Kumiko could practically _hear_ her wink.

"Geez, why do they play those ads _here?"_ Natsuki groaned. "I mean, obviously if you're in this city, you're in Zenkoku. Not really a great marketing strategy."

"Mya, mya!" Luce purred in agreement. Shops lined the streets from every angle, all painted in Rikka's signature powder blue. It gave Kumiko a headache if she looked at the bright shops for too long, and so she focused on the sidewalk beneath her. Parodia still strolled beside her - or, rather, rode on Roi's back as she watched the sights go by.

"Neither of you keep your partners in their balls, eh?" Natsuki commented.

"She just won't listen," Kumiko said, at the same time that Kousaka said "Roi doesn't have one."

"What do you mean, 'he doesn't have one?'"

"I never caught him." Kousaka said it like it was the most normal thing in the world, petting the Absol on the head. "It felt . . . wrong. I didn't quite like the concept of keeping him like a pet. He can leave any time he wants."

"Geez, Kumiko, did ya _really_ pick up one of those nuts who thinks everyone should release their Pokémon or whatever?"

"Roi's only one of six," Kousaka countered. "That reminds me, actually." In one flowing motion, she opened the flap of her bag, picked up five Poké Balls from it, and tossed them into the air. Kumiko stepped back. A few moments later, a Weavile, a Milotic, a Clefable, a Glaceon, and a Blastoise stood on the sidewalk, all of them looking at Kousaka fondly. Natsuki's jaw dropped.

"What are you, the Champion?" she yelped. "Why'd ya pick up this goof when you could've just battled her and kicked her ass?" Kumiko didn't even have a chance to feel insulted before Kousaka stepped forward.

"I don't have any interest in challenging those who have no chance of succeeding," she replied evenly.

"You're calling my best friend a loser?!"

"H-hey, maybe we should-"

"Well, if that's how it is . . ." Natsuki smirked lopsidedly, and Kumiko breathed a sigh of relief. She'd grown to rely on her friend not having much of a temper, and the overdramatic pose she'd begun to strike meant that she was probably just trying to rile Kousaka up. "How's a battle sound? You and me, right here." Lifting her jacket, a line of Poké Balls sat snug inside of it. "Does that seem good to ya, Kousaka?"

"I think we should save that for later." Almost as soon as she'd let them out, Kousaka's five Pokémon all hopped back into their balls, and she now stood at an awkward distance from Kumiko and Natsuki. "Just 'Reina' is fine, by the way."

"Reina," Kumiko echoed. The name felt odd on her tongue, and in a way she couldn't quite explain, she felt like something monumental had just occurred.

* * *

The city's Pokémon Center was larger than Kumiko was used to, looking more like a department store than a hospital, but it felt homely all the same. A few young children - _probably starting their journey at the_ right _time,_ Kumiko thought bitterly - curled up on top of a massive Snorlax while an old man sat, hunched, on one of the soft couches with a Drampa in the same exact pose right beside him. A fireplace crackled in one corner with a pair of teenagers sitting close to it. One of them turned her head and waved the trio over.

"Hello!" she called, her voice as squeaky as a little kid's. Honestly, she _looked_ like a little kid, with her short stature and soft face, but Kumiko figured that she would've been sitting with the Snorlax crowd if she was really as young as she looked. Her companion - another girl, with barrettes keeping her hair out of her face and an infectious grin - turned around, and her eyes lit up almost immediately.

"Hey!" she added. A Pikachu sitting in her lap opened its eyes and let out a cheerful _"chu-pi!"_

"H-hi." Kumiko wasn't quite sure what to make of these newcomers, and considering Natsuki and Reina's expressions, neither did they. "I'm, er, Kumiko Oumae. Are you two trainers?"

"Nope!" the smaller one said proudly. "I can't bear to make my Pokémon fight! They're just too cute for that. I prefer Contests." Sticking one of her stubby arms out, she promptly reached to shake Kumiko's hand. "I'm Midori Kawashima, by the way!"

"What about you?" Natsuki ran a hand through her hair as she looked at the girl with the Pikachu, and Kumiko could've sworn that her cheeks turned pink.

"Me?"

"No, the mouse. Yeah, you."

"Oh! I'm Hazuki Katou, pleased to meet ya!" The girl - Hazuki, apparently - winked and gave a peace sign with two calloused fingers. "I'm not really sure what I'm doing yet, haha, but Sparky and Midori here are okay with helping me out, so it's all okay!" Hazuki stood up. "Who're you?"

"Natsuki Nakagawa, womanizer and trainer-in-training. I'm traveling with these dorks."

"Reina Kousaka." Reina stuck her hand out stiffly, and Hazuki eagerly shook it.

"Well, it's been great to meet you three, but we'd better get off soon!" she chirped. "There's a big storm brewing, did you hear?"

"A storm?"

"Yep!" Midori squeaked. "I'd stay the night here, but we have to get to the Contest the next town over by tomorrow morning, and I've got the world's best umbrella!"

"The world's best umbrella?" This girl spoke in riddles.

"Tuba-kun, come on out!" Midori tossed a Poké Ball in the air, and out came a massive Bewear that cracked the floorboards. It looked her dead in the eye, and Kumiko let out a yelp.

"W-what're you doing with that huge thing?" she stuttered, backing away as slowly as she could so as not to disturb the beast.

"Tuba-kun? He's my friend! Aren't you, sweetie?" Midori scratched the Bewear under the chin, and it gave a pleased roar in return.

"Hey, if ya don't mind me asking, why's it called Tuba-kun?" Natsuki asked. Reina not-so-subtly hid behind her.

"I found him around a bunch of broken tubas in an alleyway when he was just a little Stufful! We became fast friends, and we've been together ever since."

"Huh." Natsuki blinked. "Well, that's enough for me. Kumiko? Kousaka? We should get going."

"Yep," Kumiko mumbled, already on her way out the door. It was raining already, turning the powder-blue streets and buildings a dingy gray, like they'd been left in the wash for too long. "Wait."

"What?"

"Why don't we just stay here for the night? I mean, it's n-not like we're in any rush, and this seems like a nice enough place." Natsuki furrowed her brow, as if mulling this over, but Kumiko knew from the way she had already started to dig through her backpack for a sleeping bag that the conversation was over.

"I hope we run into you three soon, then!" Hazuki said, and her Pikachu squeaked in agreement. Midori waved them goodbye under the extremely large and watchful arm of the Bewear. "Say, next time we meet, why don't we try a battle? It could be fun!" Hazuki extended her hand, and Kumiko tentatively shook it, a bit intimidated by the other girl's firm grasp.

"It's a deal."

"Great! See you later!" The little traveling quartet bounded out the door into the rain, leaving a Bewear-sized hole in it as they did so.

"I hope we see 'em again, too." Natsuki unfolded her sleeping bag, letting it roll out onto the wood floor. "Kousaka? Do you have something to sleep on?"

"No. Roi usually works as enough of a pillow." Roi butted his head up against her, and Kumiko had to admit she had a point - his fur was unbelievably soft. "I'll take the couch."

"Okay." Without another word, Kumiko took to setting up her own sleeping bag, and soon all three of them were curled up in their respective spots. The rain gave off a nice sort of ambiance, steady enough that soon it had faded away into the whirring of machines while Pokémon were pushed to and fro in stretchers.

"Don't ya think it's weird that so many people are okay with camping out in a hospital?" Natsuki fluffed up her pillow, letting her hair loose from its ponytail and looking up at the arching wooden ceilings - powder blue, like everything else in the city. Luce plopped herself down on her head. "You'd think they'd make more hotels and crap in a place like this."

"Well, it's warm and dry, isn't it? That's all you could really ask of a place." The couch clearly wasn't big enough for both Reina and Roi, but they seemed to be making do well enough. Kumiko curled up in the fetus position in her own sleeping bag, and Parodia crawled up right next to her. Annoying as she was, she was warm and smelled like lavender, and that was something that comforted Kumiko to no end. "What do you think, Kumiko?"

"Eh?"

"Is it weird that so many people sleep in these?" Kumiko shrugged.

"I h-hadn't really thought about it either way."

" _Okay,_ let's not get to arguing." Natsuki sat up, wriggling in the sleeping bag as she did so. "It doesn't look like anyone here's gonna fall asleep, so why don't we just talk about life and crap? Kousaka, how'd ya become a trainer?" Even in the relative darkness, Kumiko could see discomfort plain on Reina's face.

"I . . . fell into it, I suppose." Roi opened one red eye before closing it again. "What about you two?"

"I just moved to Kitauji Town a few months ago." Kumiko would have tucked into herself tighter if she could - Bulbasaur were cold-blooded, after all, and so Parodia hadn't really been giving off as much warmth as she seemed, not to mention the drafty old sleeping bag shaped hilariously like a Wurmple. "It, uh, it took me a while to get my Pokémon license, so this is my first night out on the road."

"I've been friends with this dork since she moved there," Natsuki added on, jabbing her finger at Kumiko. "Left for my journey a month or so ago, but we figured it'd make the most sense to travel together once she started." Luce, now fast asleep, batted at an imaginary ball of yarn with her eyes shut tight. "I can't remember a time when I didn't have Luce."

"That's nice," Reina murmured. The rain and the machines seemed to disappear as Kumiko looked at her, dark hair spilling off the side of the couch like an inky waterfall, violet eyes sharp and bright, and it was like she could hear little violins playing somewhere off in the distance.

She'd have to research the potency of Bulbasaur leaves the next morning.

* * *

 **a/n:** bold of you to assume i won't push the haznat agenda in every fic i write


End file.
